Violation of LAND Norms
Private varsity shifts blame on govt
Shimla, July 24
Manav Bharti University (MBU), which does have the minimum required land, maintains that it is not at fault and has virtually shifted the blame on the Education Department for grant of approval for setting up the institution in violation of the norms.

Marssonina attacks apple orchards again
Kullu/Mandi, July 24
A fungal disease, marssonina, along with a fungal blight have attacked apple orchards in the Kullu-Mandi-Shimla apple belt spreading panic waves among the helpless
farmersLeaves of an apple tree infested with marssonina in the upper Kullu valley. Photo by writer

Flash floods man-made disaster
Shimla, July 24
Mother Nature is making the state pay the price for tinkering with the fragile hill environment, if the increasing frequency of cloudbursts and flash floods even as the overall precipitation has been declining in the state is any indication.
The increasing human activity in the precipitous high-attitude areas in the name of development is, indeed, taking a toll on environment.

A file photo of the destruction caused by a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh.

HPU to be linked with NKN
Shimla, July 24
Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) will soon be linked to the National Knowledge Network (NKN) to facilitate teaching of students living in remote areas through videoconferencing.

Cong amended land reforms Act: BJP
Shimla, July 24
The BJP has accused the Congress of misleading the people on the issue of permission granted to an outsider to acquire land in the state under Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act and asserted that the law was amended by the Congress time and again to suit its convenience.

Cancer cases on the rise
Shimla, July 24
Doctors have stressed the need for early detection and a healthy lifestyle to check the increasing incidence of lung and cervix cancer in the hill state.

Shimla, July 24
Manav Bharti University (MBU), which does have the minimum required land, maintains that it is not at fault and has virtually shifted the blame on the Education Department for grant of approval for setting up the institution in violation of the norms.

As per the norms, a private university must have a minimum of 50 bigha of compact land at one place for setting up an institution. However, inspection carried out by the Education Department recently revealed that the MBU had only 30 bigha of land at Sultanpur in Solan district where its campus has come up. It had another 45 bigha and 10 biswa of land at Kaunihat in Sirmour district. Its management had in response to the notice served by the department stated that revenue papers of the land at two different locations were submitted with the proposal on the basis of which permission was given and as such it was not at fault.

If the department has faltered the government must order an inquiry to fix responsibility and take action against errant officials who gave nod for setting up the university ignoring the norms.

The government has so far not made any effort to ascertain how the permission was granted in violation of the conditions of the Letter of Interest (LoI) and only directed it not to start any activities at the second location.

Instead of taking effective action the government is trying to justify its decision to open the floodgates for private universities. The ministers and other functionaries are repeatedly quoting Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal’s statement that the country needed 50,000 colleges and 1,000 universities to raise the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from the existing 12 per cent to 25 per cent by 2020. While 12 private universities are already functional, the government has given eight more LoI’s but hardly any colleges have been opened. The government should have, maintaining the same ratio, first set up at least 1,000 private colleges. Instead, it has taken over some private colleges.

More colleges than universities are needed as some government colleges at places like Dharamsala and Mandi have around 4,000 students each. The 11 private universities together have just 5,800 students. The main reason being that these institutions have been set up without adequate constituent colleges. Some universities are keen on diploma courses and offering PhD degrees. The UGC norms lay down that a university must have at least five streams which is not the case with most of the universities. The reason are not far to seek, universities with minimal regulations are empowered to confer degrees, while colleges have to strictly adhere to the norms laid down by regulatory bodies and the affiliating university.

Kullu/Mandi, July 24
A fungal disease, marssonina, along with a fungal blight have attacked apple orchards in the Kullu-Mandi-Shimla apple belt spreading panic waves among the helpless farmers already reeling under the crop failure and hail-damaged fruit this season.

Marssonina enters the plant first and symptoms like yellowing of leaves manifest later. It secretes ethylene and cuts off the supply of nutrients and water to the leaves which start withering, causing premature defoliation

According to farmers, the fungal disease is spreading like a wild fire from lower orchards to higher altitude orchards at 9,000-ft for the last one week. The leaves develop spots, turn yellow in the middle and then drop, leaving the entire branch leafless followed by the tree, they rued.

From Snor valley in Mandi through Badah, Raison, Katrai to Manali areas and Banjar and Jaban area in Ani, the fungus is spreading fast leaving orchardists in panic. The premature leaf fall varies from 60 per cent in lower areas to 10 per cent in higher areas and the disease can mar the chances of a good crop next year as well.

The fungus has taken its toll in orchards ravaged by the hailstorms in May and June in the apple belt of Kullu, Mandi and Shimla. The fungus has infested orchards in Bali Chowki, Thatchi, Janjheli, Gara Gushain, Chatri, Chuini, Bagda, Thunag, Churag, Karsog in Mandi, said Daya R Thakur, Jagdish and Laxmi Chand, farmers from the areas.

In Shimla district, the fungus has spread from lower humid orchards in Dewat, Shantha, Shili, Dhreuli in Chopal, in the lower belt of Jubbal, Kharapathar, Rohru and Rampur as well, the farmers added.

The farmers resented that the spray schedule and products recommended by the Horticulture Department had turned ineffective in controlling the infection. It appears that a heavy dose of one chemical and lower in other spray has resulted in fungus developing resistance, the farmers observed.

“Farmers sprayed the combination sprays to control the premature leaf fall, but it turned ineffective,” said Prem Sharma, president, Upper Kullu Valley Farmers Association. The department has given one spray schedule for the entire state whereas it should be area specific and the department should also hold camps in March and April, said Ajay Kainthla, a farmer from Shilaru, Shimla.

Associate director, research station, Kullu, Dr SS Bhardwaj said the intermittent spells of rain and sunshine had created conducive conditions for the marssonina. The disease has been noticed in orchards where farmers did not follow the spray schedule in time, he observed.

On the other hand, Dr Vijay Thakur, a pathologist at the horticulture university, said, “The fungus is difficult to control if it is not detected at the outset.” The horticultural officials claimed they hold camps from time to time and advice farmers to follow the spray schedule recommended by the scientists.

Dharamsala, July 24
Politicians visit these villages only during election campaigns. However, despite their tall promises during campaigning, development has not touched these villages.

Bassi, Malot, Kamlad, Seul Khad, Matiala and many such villages falling in the Jaswan Assembly constituency are still bereft of roads, basic medical facility, schools and proper drinking water. The villages are located on the Dhaliara-Sansarpur terrace road, a remote area of Kangra district. The area is part of the Jaswan Assembly constituency that falls in the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency that was earlier represented by Chief Minister PK Dhumal and now by his son Anurag Thakur.

When The Tribune team visited the villages, the residents despite abject lack of basic facilities seemed to have lost hope. They were not seen pressing on the politicians who rarely visit the area. The answer came from village elders who said, “Many have come and gone but nothing has changed for our villages in the past 50 years.”

Gurbachan Singh, a retired inspector who chose to settle in Bassi village, said, “Basic medical facility is the potent need of the area. Since there is no road in the area people from adjoining villages have to walk for 5 to 10 km on foot to the main road. If anybody falls ill seriously during night hours there is no doctor available in the entire area. The only option available for residents is to call for a taxi from nearby town that has been made possible through cell phones. However, the taxi operators charge at least Rs 500 to trek their way over stones to reach remote villages. This much amount is substantial for the majority of population in the area as they hardly have any source of income.”

Capt Gurnam Singh (retd) says, “Agriculture has become totally non-viable in the area. There is no irrigation facility in the entire area. The people are dependent on rains that are totally uncertain. To add to it wild animals, especially monkey, have made agriculture impossible in the area. Due to this a majority of people have left agriculture.”

Earlier, for drinking water the people were dependent on “bauli” (a place in hill where water percolates naturally). However, with the declining water table the natural sources of water have finished and people are now dependent on the erratic supply of the Public Health Department.

Most of residents of the area are dependent on government or Army jobs for livelihood. As opportunities in government sector have declined now, the youth are now migrating to metros for jobs in private companies.

Interestingly, the self-employment schemes of the government have not reached the area. Bee-keeping and other such activities can provide self-employment opportunities in the area. However, to implement the scheme officials will have to work with a strong will and politicians will have to visit the area besides the voting season.

Jaswan constituency

Bassi, Malot, Kamlad, Seul Khad, Matiala and many such villages falling in the Jaswan Assembly constituency are still bereft of roads, basic medical facility, schools and proper drinking water. The villages are located on the Dhaliara-Sansarpur terrace road.

Shimla, July 24
The government has constituted a Task Force for the integrated and sustainable development of tourism in the state.

Headed by the Chief Secretary it will have Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Science and Technology and Principal Secretaries of the Transport, Finance, Public Works, Irrigation and Public Health and Urban Development departments as members.

Shimla, July 24
Mother Nature is making the state pay the price for tinkering with the fragile hill environment, if the increasing frequency of cloudbursts and flash floods even as the overall precipitation has been declining in the state is any indication.

The increasing human activity in the precipitous high-attitude areas in the name of development is, indeed, taking a toll on environment. Flash floods and landslides are no more a natural calamity, but a man-made disaster as evident from the fact that most of the devastation is taking place in the areas where power projects, tunnels and roads and other such projects are being constructed. The consequent decline in the green cover is leading to increased surface run-off and nowadays even moderate rains are enough to cause flash floods in the downhill areas. The blocking of natural drainage by construction debris often leads to diversion of nullahs and streams, which play havoc with human lives and property.

The meteorological data says that the two major incidents of flash floods, one at Udaipur, near Chamba, and the other at Fingri on way to the Rohtang tunnel, here were not caused by cloudbursts.

Udaipur had only 24 mm of rain on that day, while Fingri had 73 mm, which is too scanty to be categorised as a cloudburst. In meteorological terms, the rain from a cloudburst has a fall rate equal to or greater than 100 mm (4.94 inches) per hour and usually lasts for over an hour. It has been the second major incident in the Rohtang tunnel project. In August 2003, falsh floods claimed 60 lives in the same area.

Over the past two decades, over 1,200 persons have been killed in flash floods and some pockets of Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu and Kangra have become prone to such calamities. Of late, some lower hill areas in Mandi, Bilaspur and Solan districts have also been ravaged by flash floods.

Over the past two decades over 8,000 hectare of forestland has been diverted for roads, hydroelectric projects and other development schemes. Haphazard and excessive urbanisation without bothering about the carrying capacity of hills along with unscientific and illegal mining activity are the other man-made factors which add to the magnitude of the calamity.

In the Kullu valley, the Beas and its tributaries have been playing havoc with the human lives. It witnessed devastating floods in 1988, 1992 and 1995 and on each occasion the river changed its course by 100 m to 500 m washing away even big hotels and buses. Scores of people were killed in cloudbursts in the Shaat Nullah, Pulia Nullah and Fozal Nullah. The situation is no different with the Sutlej, which was blocked by a huge landslide in 1993, creating a big lake at the Nathpa dam site, followed by major floods in 2000 and the famous Parchu deluge in 2005. A cloudburst atop the Rohal mountain range in 1997 wreaked havoc in Chirgaon on the Rohru side and Wangtu and Neugal Seri in the Kinnaur side, killing over 120 persons.

In the past 15 years, over 40 major incidents of flash floods and cloudbursts have occurred, claiming over 450 lives. With government allotting six to nine big and small power projects in a number of streams, including some in the highly eco-sensitive cold desert of Spiti, the situation will only worsen as and when the construction works take off on the ground. The construction of huge multi-storey structures on steep hills in violation of the globally accepted Nelson’s slope norms is only adding to the issue. The indiscriminate grant of permission under Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act, particularly for building apartments and private universities, has already started affecting the environment.

It is high time that the state frames a comprehensive environment policy to help restrict the spread of human activities in the fragile higher hills.

A way out could be to declare areas above 400 ft or 5,000 ft as eco-sensitive zones where only site-specific projects and those meant for the benefit of the locals be allowed.

How cloudbursts are
caused?

A cloudburst is a freak phenomenon caused by an up rush of air currents holding up a large amount of water, rising as a plume of air slightly warmer than its surroundings. The sudden cooling and consequent cessation of currents causes the entire mass of water descend on a small area with catastrophic force due to rapid condensation of clouds. These mostly occur in mountainous regions, particularly in interior regions.

Shimla, July 24
Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) will soon be linked to the National Knowledge Network (NKN) to facilitate teaching of students living in remote areas through videoconferencing.

Stating this while presiding over the valedictory function of the 42nd foundation day of HPU here today, Union Minister of State for Communication and Information and Technology Sachin Pilot said so far only seven institutions in the country had been linked to the NKN under the Rs 5,990-crore scheme. As many as 2.5 lakh panchayats would be provided the optical fibre connectivity to make available the Internet facility in 22 languages.

He said the NKN would help bridge the knowledge gap among students of urban and rural areas and help them prepare to face the challenge of globalisation. For instance, HPU had just 5,000 regular students and 18,500 were enrolled under distance learning and they were resourceful students. Higher education was beyond the reach of a vast majority in the hill state and they could be provided education by making effective use of the information technology.

India had to compete with the USA and China which were far ahead of the country. However, today the USA and some other countries were concerned over the rapid pace at which India was developing and growing. Not long ago very few people in the country had the luxury of a telephone, but today there were 73 phones for every 100 people.

He also announced a special mobile phone scheme for teaching and non-teaching staff of the university and also students under which SMS at 10 paise and 150 MB of free downloading.

Later, Pilot inaugurated the BSNL Escalated Fault Management Centre at the Central Telegraph Office to help provide improved services to customers in the state. Complaints regarding landline, mobile, broadband and other services and billing could be lodged by dialling toll free numbers.

Shimla, July 24
The government will pay handling charges at the rate of Rs 1.95 per kg to procurement agencies for apples during the current harvesting season.

An official spokesperson said apple procurement had started under the Market Intervention Scheme from July 20 and 'C' grade apple was being procured at the rate of Rs 5.25 per kg.

He said 259 apple procurement centres would be opened and, if required, even more could be opened on the demand of apple growers.

He added that apple procurement would be done through the HPMC, HIMFED, HPAIC and Horticulture Department. The procurement would be made with 2.5 pc excess apple on a 60-kg jute bag and the size of an apple should be 51 mm or more.

Shimla, July 24
The BJP has accused the Congress of misleading the people on the issue of permission granted to an outsider to acquire land in the state under Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act and asserted that the law was amended by the Congress time and again to suit its convenience.

Spokesperson of the party Ganesh Dut said the Act was amended by the successive Congress regimes and while in power it gave permissions to its favourites but provided no concessions to the bona fide Himachalis. Now that the BJP government was trying to provide some relief to the bona fide Himachalis, the Congress was raising hue and cry.

He asked the Congress to state its position in unambiguous terms whether or not it was in favour providing relief to the bona fide Himachalis who had been living in the state for generations.

He said the Himachal Pradesh Apartments and Property (Regulation) Act was enacted by the Congress government in 2006 and now it was opposing it.

Shimla, July 24
Doctors have stressed the need for early detection and a healthy lifestyle to check the increasing incidence of lung and cervix cancer in the hill state.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Dr Rajeev Bedi, head of department of medical oncology at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, said the shadow of cancer looms large over Himachal, with the state currently facing a formidable challenge of curing around 10,000 cases. Bedi is the recipient of gold medal and prestigious Geeta Mittal award for the best cancer researcher of 2002.

“Himachal has to tackle about 1,800 to 2,000 fresh patients each year with a large number of cases of lung cancer among males and cervix cancer among women,” he said. He said the lack of awareness and leading an unhealthy lifestyle were the man reasons for the growing number of cancer cases.

He further said amongst gynaecological cancers, cervix cancer cases topped the list followed by breast cancer. He said according to studies conducted in the state, districts like Sirmour, Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Mandi and Kangra had been found to had a higher share of the disease.